ORIGINS
by Keiron Halycon
Summary: The background story of Charon Bond and how he came to the Lylat System along with his father and a couple of friends. Easier on the eyes. :) Please R&R.
1. ORIGINS Summary

ORIGINS SUMMARY

This is a story about a young visitor to the Lylat System when his planet was in grave danger. How he grows up, deals with the responsibilities of his dead world, the strife and struggles of his new home, and his debt to a certain fox. How the upcoming events of the Lylat System will shape this creature's view on life is dependant on him   



	2. A New Beginning

Chapter One   
**_A New Beginning_**   
_Planet of Garnage_   
_Fourth planet from the star, Naria_   


The planet of Garnage looked like a waste land. The crack that was situated on a fault line gave way, causing small tremors all around the surrounding area. The creatures of Garnage became more and more fearful of these constant quakes. Garnage used to be a planet paradise, full of beauty. Rivers and trees dotted the landscape, but now even the reserves that kept these things of beauty were slowly becoming barren.   
With the planet shaking around them, Charon and Greold made their way to the spaceship, The Intrepid. "Are you sure you packed all my toys, dad?" asked the younger Charon.   
"Yes, I am sure," smiled Greold.   
He quickly lost the smile and continued walking. He was lost in his thoughts and worrying about the government of Garnage. If they found out about this venture, it could result in major repercussions. Well, Greold didn't have the Garnage government as his biggest supporter either. Greold had repeatedly told the ruling council of the impending danger of the planet's core. It was not normal for a core of any planet to collapse onto itself, one-third of its original size, thus leaving a huge void in its place. The planet was finally beginning to crumble on top of it immense weight and trying to fill in the void that the planet core had left, but Greold was afraid of the reoccurring dreams that the planet core was gaining strength once again. This combined strength of the reawakening core plus the fact the planet, Garnage, was falling on top of itself spelled only one true fact. The planet was in the midst of its death throes.   
Thankfully, the Garnagians were space faring race. Travel to and from other space ports around the galaxy was very common for them. Greold saved a better portion of his pay from the defense force of Garnage to make, scrimp, and buy parts for his own spaceship. Charon, even though only two years old had remarkable aptitude with the technology and electronics that his father was putting together. Greold thought back to the very first day of putting together the navigation system of The Intrepid.   


*** 

_Six months earlier_   
_An abandoned warehouse outside Albeno, city on Garnage_   


"I'm never going to have this done," Greold said aloud.   
"Want me to help dad?" asked Charon.   
"Not sure what you could help with son," said an exasperated Greold. "Just stay there on the bench while I get us both something to drink."   
Charon slid off the bench and looked at the navigation motherboard. Pretty soon, Charon was tinkering on the motherboard, burning circuits and wiring as he had been doing it for a long time. Greold just stood in the doorway, mouth agape, holding two glasses of his son's favorite beverage. "Now, what did I tell you," Greold said, scolding his son. "Get away from that before you shock yourself."   
Charon stood up and with his head bent and ears slicked back in shame, walked over to his dad and took his drink. "Thanks," whispered Charon.   
Greold walked back over the navigation mother board and was about to finish installing it when he noticed it was already installed. Greold stared at the motherboard, then at his son. "You did this?" asked Greold.   
"Umm, yes," Charon said, fidgeting. "I am sorry."   
Greold looked at the motherboard and at Charon. "There is nothing to be sorry about. How did you know how to put this together?"   
"I didn't," admitted Charon. "It just seemed right."   
Again, Greold just stared at his son. If he can put navigational motherboards together at his age, what could he do when he is older? This reminds me of my father. No, that can't be. Good thing we are leaving Garnage, my father might exploit him and make him into just another loyal servant under his rule.   
The Garnagians had an elite peacekeeping force that displayed talents like telekinesis and telepathy. They were called the Thunderknights. Though he didn't show any sign of these wild talents, nor did his now dead wife, Charon was almost in a class by himself when tackling school subjects and anything electronic. Greold swore that one time he saw his son move a small writing utensil closer to himself by the will of his mind when working on a particularly hard math problem. Immediately, Greold went to his son and told him not to do that anymore. He feared for his father's wrath at that very moment, but Charon adhered to his father's wishes, only when he wasn't looking. 

*** 

_Present Day_   
_The Intrepid_   
_20 klicks west of Albeno_   


At last they found that their shipmates, Trebard and Chesold, were waiting for them at the spaceship, The Intrepid. Trebard informed Greold that they had already loaded the ship with the supplies and Chesold was making last minute preparations on the stasis cells for the long journey ahead of them. Charon went inside immediately to see his friend while the two adults discussed the ramifications of their early departure from Garnage. "You can always still back out of this," Greold commented to his friend Trebard.   
"Aye, I can," replied Trebard. "But I won't be seeing my best friend for long time, maybe not even ever again."   
"True," said Greold, as he looked over the supply list with the crates stacked up in the secure hold. "But what if they catch us before we clear the mine field and system."   
Trebard smiled. "But they won't. You are the best pilot in the fleet, everyone knows this. As I hear it, your son has some prospects of his own."   
"That he does, though I am concerned with a few things," Greold said, looking at the floor. "Some of his talents might never be realized without some guidance, if you know what I mean."   
Trebard nodded, he knew what his life long friend meant.   


*** 

_Inside The Intrepid_   
_Stasis cell room_   


Charon finally found Chesold making the last checks on the stasis chambers. Charon snuck behind his friend and yelled. Chesold almost jumped out of his fur. When Chesold finally found out who yelled he tackled Charon. After a few minutes of wrestling, Charon came out on top and helped his friend up. "Don't ever do that again," scolded Chesold.   
Charon smiled. "I couldn't help myself. That was just a perfect opportunity," Charon giggled.   
"I could have made a mistake on these controls," Chesold said.   
"Nah, I made sure you were away from the controls before I scared you and made you have your first heart attack," Charon said. "Besides, it looks like you are almost finished."   
"Yeah, but you do know that one little slip up would have us age rapidly," reminded Chesold. "I would hate to be an old Garnagian in the span of one year, rather than wait my time."   
Charon nodded in agreement. "I can't imagine being that old right now."   
"Who is old?" Trebard stated.   
It was this time that Charon jumped at the intrusion of the adults. Trebard walked over to the stasis cells and double checked his son's settings. When he saw that the settings were to his satisfaction, he tousled Chesold's head fur and went to the cockpit of the new ship to check on their destination. It seemed as though everything was going according to plan and soon the two families would leave their doomed, beloved home-world for a better place.   
Greold had checked the outlying systems for habitable planets that they could reside at and he had also found the planets that the ruling council had picked for their mass exodus. Thankfully, some of those planets matched up with the ones he had picked and he was hoping that The Intrepid could land in one piece so that they could, one day, find their brethren if they ever were separated.   
Finally, the time came. None of the Garnage ruling council, law enforcement, or even the Thunderknights came to stop them from their premature departure. All of The Intrepid's passengers changed in to their fur tight stasis suits and buckled their safety belts. "Shields?" Greold barked.   
"Check," confirmed Trebard.   
"Navigation?"   
"Check."   
"Stasis cells?"   
"Check."   
"Weapons?"   
"Check."   
"Engines?"   
"Check."   
"Well, let's get this bucket of bolts in the air," Greold said.   
Greold switched on the timer for the initial engines to start powering up. The ship shook with the start and gradually a low hum was heard. The power couplings were fed power from the engines. In turn, the couplings diverted power to all parts of the ship through a spider's web of wiring. Everything was looking good for this ship's maiden voyage. Charon and Chesold looked at each other and saw each others' apprehension. Greold nodded and said, "Here goes nothing."   
The Intrepid lurched out of its launching pad. The few residents in the surrounding land thought that another planetquake was happening until they saw the while contrail of exhaust fumes and other engine emissions from the take off. Then they knew exactly what was happening, someone was leaving Garnage early.   
Calls were put out to the security force that an unidentified ship was leaving the planet. Soon, chaos was abound as the ruling council was at first, shocked that someone was actually leaving after being told not to, then angry these creatures had the audacity to leave against strict order from the Emperor. The planetary defense grid was activated to disable the small craft as it was leaving Garnage. Greold and Trebard were ready for this. All that the laser from the space mines did nothing but bounce harmlessly off the sleek design of The Intrepid.   
Greold flew expertly though the space mines as he knew where every single mine was through is service in the defense forces. While one or two of the laser blasts shook the ship, the families rode through the storm of red going around them. Just as they were about through the mine field, a particularly violent shockwave went through The Intrepid.   
"Damn, what was that?" Trebard remarked.   
"Must have put that in just recently," Greold said, coolly. "That, my friend, was a missile mine. Chesold, go in the back and see if there is any breach in the hull."   
With that, the young Garnagian unbuckled and looked out the small port window for any signs of vacuum. "I see no breach," he said, checking the atmosphere gauges. "No loss of atmosphere is evident in any part of the ship."   
The adults were quickly checking their instruments. "Everything green here," Trebard said, looking over to Greold. "Nice shields you have on this ship."   
"Thanks," answered Greold. "I borrowed the shield generator from my fighter. I kinda figured that it wouldn't be needed that much longer anyway."   
A stray laser shot shook The Intrepid once more and Chesold was thrown against the navigational board. Quickly Trebard unbuckled and ran to his son. "Are you alright?" questioned the worried parent.   
"Yeah, just a bump on my head from what I feel," replied Chesold, as he rubbed his head.   
What the occupants failed to notice, was that the coordinates of their destination had been changed. The third planet in a forgotten part of space from a star had taken its place from the original plotted course.   
Now safely away, Charon and Chesold went to the stasis chambers to prep them for the long sleep to their new destination. Greold and Trebard confirmed their destination on the computer. "Are you sure that is the place we agreed upon?" asked Trebard.   
"Yes, I put the coordinates in myself," Greold answered. "It just so happens that this planet is one of the few planets agreed upon by the Emperor himself as a staging area."   
"If you say so, just looks different," Trebard remarked.   
"Here, I will check it again," said Greold.   
The new planet had breathable atmosphere, plenty of fresh water and minerals, and plenty of room for expansion. The two adults walked to the stasis cells and found their sons wrestling one last time before their sleep. "Ok, you two, time to sleep," Trebard said, smiling.   
Charon smoothed out his fur tight suit and entered his own cell, while Chesold had done the same. Greold pushed the button to the boys' cells and soon they were suspended in sleep. Greold and Trebard shook each others paws as entered their own stasis cells, wondering what their new planet would be like. Only time will tell.   


*** 

_Hour later_   
_Garnage Palace_   
_Throne room_   


"Are they safely away, advisor?" asked a cowled figure.   
"Yes, my lord. They are away." answered the black cat-like creature.   
"Good, good," remarked the figure. "In as much as I detest my followers to leave early against my wishes, it is good that they didn't die to those mines. I don't want my only son and grandson to die before I do."   
The advisor looked up at the Emperor in a state of shock. "Y-your son and grandson, my lord?"   
"Yes, my son was wise to leave with his own son and hide him from me," answered the ruler of Garnage. "Not that I blame him. I grow weary of all this politicking and pomp and circumstance. Though I wonder."   
"Wonder about what, my liege?" again the advisor, asked.   
He didn't receive an answer. The Emperor walked away to his throne and sat down.   
"My grandson has powers that he will not comprehend and possibly never will, if he doesn't learn to control them," the emperor thought to himself. "I do hope that my son will be a good teacher to him. I don't want to go through another Freiold episode. That maniac almost destroyed this entire planet. Freiold did have a son of his own, before he went insane. I hope he can be controlled.   
"To be sure that no one else escapes, I sure hope that our own beloved commander tries harder next time to disable the craft that decides to leave on its own before the scheduled date," commented the Emperor.   
"Yes, my Emperor, I will tell him myself right away," the advisor agreed and shuffled off to do his Emperor's bidding.   
"Maybe I will see them again," thought the Emperor. 

**EDITED BY JJC**   
  



	3. At Journey's End

**Prologue**   
_Charon's dream_   
__ __

_ Laughing, crying, cheering, sadness, anger, and…anger. The nightmares continued. Charon couldn't wake up from them. He kept seeing a laughing, furred face. A reddish-orange face with a medal on his chest,t smiling at him. Hundreds, no, thousands of deaths surrounding him. His beloved planet Garnage, blowing up. He felt deep sense of duty to his people and the culture of his planet. He saw the Thundernights being scattered about, across the universe. A single old figure, straight out of his history books, beckoning him, wanting to show him something. Charon could sense, feel, no, see the power radiating from this lone figure. He saw that his eyes were glowing red. They were not angry, but kind eyes. Trusting eyes. Charon saw himself standing next to this figure, but grown up. Then merge with the figure. This new entity turned around and smiled back at the him. "One day you will know what this dream was, but for now, you must be brave and endure."_   


**Chapter 2**   
At Journey's End   
_Present day_   
_Near the outer borders of the Lylat system._   
_The Intrepid_   


The trip was a long and arduous one. Seemingly infinite space, coupled with the lack of sound made by The Intrepid was eerie enough to make even a ghost fearful. The expanse of stars and planets whizzed by the little ship like flies buzzing around a hot window, while Charon, Greold, Trebard, and Chesold slept peacefully in their stasis cells, their new destination came into view. This was a bluish-green planet with hints of atmosphere and water, landmasses of varying sizes and shapes and distinctive mountain ranges and canyons. The planet looked inviting enough that is if the ship held together on the landing.   
Usually when on a long flight through space, the Garnage used the stasis cells to hibernate between two points. When the destination is reached, the stasis cells open up for the crews to land safely at either at a docking bay inside a satellite base or at an airfield on a planet. This was not happening to The Intrepid's crew. The small ship was plummeting out of control, toward the surface of this planet. Soon, The Intrepid was flaring up like a meteor entering any type of low-atmosphere planet. The outside of the ship was enormously hot, yet the inside stayed cool and comfortable.   
Upon entry into the planet's atmosphere, the ship leveled out and started skipping along the layers of the stratosphere. Lower and lower, the metallic meteorite, was coming closer to the ground. This in itself was not important, but to an unpiloted ship, many things could go wrong, and it did. The Intrepid was coming down belly first into a forest of trees, scraping the highest of these trees at first, and then gradually lowering to take out the top half of the trees. This effect slowed the ship slightly, but The Intrepid was still traveling at a high rate of speed. Another forest lay ahead and this time, the ship was going to plow straight into the middle. Trees cracked and were thrown about like twigs as the speeding ship slammed into them. An old warrior of a tree stood in the way of the ship. Two unmovable objects were on a collision course.   
The Intrepid slammed into the side of this tree and was thrown for a loop, losing most of its front side in the process. The old tree shook and shuddered, but was able to hold its ground. Wounded and in pain, this warrior will live another day. With The Intrepid in total disarray after the crash, the ship bounced along the ground, losing a component here and a console there. The Intrepid finally came to rest when it hit a large boulder on the ground. Flipping the ship once again and spilling the rest of the contents across the landscape. The stasis cells of the four passengers were among those contents and they were thrown from the ship, scattered among the wreckage of the ship. The occupants were still unaware of the horrific crash that had just taken place.   
This whole chain of events had not gone unnoticed. High in the early warning tower, James saw the Meteorite finally come to rest within his boundary zone. He sighed," Might as well see where that thing landed and if anyone was hurt. More likely, if anyone survived."   
Something in the back of James's mind made him a little bit more cautious than usual. He saw the meteorite land, but something about the trajectory and the landing, made him a skeptic. Meteorites usually just plow right through things, not caring if it was a tree, boulder, or living creature. This thing had actually bounced a couple of times, which he saw, before streaking out of sight. James climbed aboard his hover cycle and headed for what he thought was the final resting place for this new visitor from space. While riding to the crash site, he wondered if Professor Andross from the planetarium had seen the meteorite as well. He didn't particularly like the simian, but he was a treasure trove of information. James finally arrived at the crash site. The scene was that of complete disarray and chaos. Small fires were around, in the forest of trees. Bits of metal and wiring were all over the place. The main section of what seemed like a ship was half-buried in the ground. Immediately, he was on the radio to his superiors. "You better come to these coordinates that I am sending you. There is a major crash of some sort of space-going ship here. I have no idea if anyone's left alive, but will use extreme caution to find the pilots, if any," James said.   
"Are you sure that this is ship?" a voice came over the loudspeaker.   
"No doubt about it," James confirmed. "But with all this debris, I don't think it is anything that we have seen in the past. I believe it is a first contact situation. Though I doubt the pilots couldn't pilot a dune hopper."   
"Well, just be careful. I want you in one piece so you can give me your report when this is all over." the voice said. "I will be sending a full team to investigate this crash. Out."   
James sighed again, "Looks like you have yourself another mess to sort out, James."   
James started looking around for any body parts or blood that might lead him to anyone or anything that might have been piloting this hunk of metal. Just then he heard some movement in the bushes to his right. James gradually stood erect and looked in the general direction of the noise. Soon, he found out it was only his son, Fox, holding his hover board. He had lagged behind, because he too had seen the bright light flash across the sky.   
"You shouldn't be here, son," scolded James.   
"I know, but I think I have found something interesting over here," exclaimed Fox.   
Father followed his son into a grove of trees. Fox pointed to four oblong-shaped containers that were hanging together from a piece of machinery in a tree. As he looked at them, James gasped in disbelief. His search for the pilots was at an end. These were the creatures that had made the ship. James ran back to his hover cycle and reported his findings. "I think you had better send over a medical team as well," James said, breathlessly. "I think I have found the creatures that were the owners of this ship. They seem to be in suspended animation and in trouble if we don't' get them out of their chambers."   
"All right, though we might know nothing of the anatomy and internal structure. We will see what we can do for these space travelers," said the voice.   
Just then he heard his son scream and he saw Fox run into view. He ran right into his father. "One of the pods," Fox said shaking. "Is opening up on its own. I didn't touch anything. I swear."   
James ran with his son back to where the pods were hanging precariously. Indeed, one of the pods had opened up and its occupant was still strapped inside. James made a bold decision. He unstrapped its occupant and laid him on the ground. The small body, still in its tight-fitting suit, was breathing regularly, but had not opened his eyes. From what James could tell, the creature had yellow fur and a narrow face. The ears of this creature were rounded and on either side of the head. Black spots and markings, not unlike the cheetah species on Corneria, were also found. He could only imagine the same patterns and features could be on the bodies of these space interlopers. James imagined that it took some time to be accustomed to breathing real air instead of the recycled air that was pumped in the stasis cells.   
Fox heard, off in the distance, the sirens of the incoming emergency vehicles and personnel. When they did finally arrive at the scene, both father and son directed them to the still prone figure on the ground. "One of the pods is open!?" one of them exclaimed. "Don't you know anything about protocol?"   
James retorted, "The pod was already open when I arrived here. The only thing I did was help the creature out of the pod. If you have any other questions, direct them to my superior. He is right over there."   
Some movement out of the corner of James' eye caught his attention as he was pointing out a rather young looking officer. While he and the medical officer were "politely" discussing the situation, the small form began to move. Not in any quick, seizure-like movements, but as if a person coming out of a long, deep, well-deserved sleep. Both were looking at the form and finally it spoke. "Water," it said in an almost inaudible, childlike voice.   
I was amazing that they were able to understand this newcomer to this planet. The doctors and nurses all scrambled about in mild hysteria while James calmly walked over to his cycle and poured what the visitor asked for. The visitor sat up and slowly drank the contents of the cup and smiled. "Thanks," he said. "I needed that."   
Then the realization hit him. This was not his father giving him the water. This was another creature all together. It looked like the creature that he saw in his dreams, but not quite. The yellow furred creature recoiled and looked around wildly. His eyes finally set upon the stasis cells and the occupants still inside. "You might want to get them out of there," he said. "They have been in there for quite awhile."   
"Now how do we do that?" James asked.   
"By pressing the button that says open, silly," the visitor laughed.   
"By the way, what is your name?" asked James as he was opening up the other cells.   
"Charon," said the youth. "My father, Greold and the other two, Trebard and Chesold."   
The nurses timidly looked on as James opened each of the stasis cells while the doctors and some of the other personnel gently removed the passengers onto the ground. It took a bit longer for what appeared to be adults of the new species to fully recover from their ordeal. Chesold sat up and blinked his eyes repeated and saw Charon talking to a creature with red-orange fur and pointy ears. When things had calmed down to a dull roar, Trebard and Greold began to accustom themselves their new surroundings. Greold told their new found helpers on what had happened and how they arrived at their current situation. He then looked at what remained of The Intrepid and groaned inwardly. He motioned to Trebard and he too bowed his head.   
The medical teams looked at all the occupants of the ship and transported them all to the nearest medical facility. The new arrivals lightly protested about leaving their ship, but all was assured that nothing would happen to their ship. James continued to search the wreckage for anything that might be out of place, when he found what appeared to be a small box buried in tons of dirt and rubble. He kicked at it and it didn't move. He dug around the container only to find it became bigger and bigger. Soon he realized this was no small box, but a giant storage container. James had no idea how big this container could be. "Looks like things around here never come easy," sighed James. "I hope this won't take as long as I am fearing it would turn out to be."   



	4. A Past Remembered

**Chapter 3**   
**A PAST REMEMBERED**   
_Intrepid crash site_   
_Four hours after the initial crash_   
  


Still smoking from the crash, The Intrepid was in bad shape. James still hung around, answering questions for his superiors. Also, he had told his son, Fox, to go back home and wait for him there.   
"My, my, my, what a mess," a voice commented.   
James was startled and looked around, his eyes finally settling on the simian that spoke the words. "What are you doing here, Sileous?" asked James, barely able to contain his contempt for the ape.   
"You should treat me better, James," Sileous said. "I might be able to help you get rid of these components and put them to good use."   
"Good use?" he asked, surprised to hear such words come out of Sileous' mouth. "The only use you will put these components is your own use. I highly doubt that is any "good" use for them. Besides, no one is getting near the ship until the government decides what to do."   
"That might take days," Sileous said. "By then, the electrical circuits and wiring will be ruined from exposure to the elements."   
"Like they already haven't been ruined by the initial crash," retorted James.   
Sileous and James eyed each other coolly, neither backing down from one another. James remembered the first time that they had met; it was during the construction of James' baby, the Great Fox.   


***   
_5 years earlier_   
_Shipyard, on the grounds of Cornerian Defense Base_   
_Outside Corneria City_   


James McCloud walked through the skeleton of what was going to be his ship, the Great Fox. He could only imagine what it would like after it was completed. "This is where the bridge will be, the living quarters will be down this hall, and the kitchen, fully stocked with all sorts of fish, will be here," thought James. "Oh, I suppose I should put a few vegetables here for Peppy."   
He was silently chuckling to himself as Peppy walked up to James. "What is so funny, James?" asked Peppy.   
"Oh nothing really," James said, still staring off in space. "Just trying to lay out the plans of this ship in my mind."   
"I was doing the same thing," admitted Peppy. "Like where the bridge is going to be, the sleeping quarters, and the kitchen fully stocked with all the vegetables it could hold."   
"Vegetables?" James asked, taken aback. "What about me? I need to eat too."   
"Oh, I guess I should put some meat onboard as well," Peppy said, smiling behind his whiskers. "Where is Pigma? I thought he said he was going to meet us."   
"He said that he was going to bring in the lead scientist of this project," remarked James. "Sil…Sile…bah. All I know is his last name is Andross."   
"Sileous Andross?" answered Peppy. "Yes, I have heard of him. Brilliant scientist, though prone to fits of anger when things don't go his way."   
"Oh really," mused James. "I will keep that in mind. All I want is this ship to be stable when Vixy comes to see it later today."   
"When is she coming?" Peppy asked.   
He looked down at his wrist watch and looked. "Actually, anytime," answered James.   
At that, Vixy walked in the hanger where the Great Fox was being built. She looked around at the ship and silently stood in awe. She had never been so close to a ship of this size before, even though it was not halfway completed. Standing next to the fighters of the CDF, was one thing, but an actual star cruiser was amazing.   
James walked down the ramp of the Great Fox and saw her. "You know Peppy, I like her," he commented. "She is pretty, intelligent, and I think she is the one."   
"Only pretty?" exclaimed Vixy. "Only pretty? I am much more than pretty, James McCloud."   
"I didn't see you there," James lied. "I was talking about the ship."   
"Sure you were," Vixy said, trying to look indignant. "So, captain, my captain, permission to come aboard?"   
"Permission granted," said James, smiling.   
Just when he was about to give the grand tour of the Great Fox, Pigma stumbled through the hanger doors followed closely behind was Professor Sileous Andross. Peppy nudged James in the shoulder. "There is our extinguished guest and the bumbling court jester," Peppy joked.   
"Which one is which?" James asked Peppy silently, not helping matters. "Professor Andross, what a pleasure to have your company. I'm certain that Pigma helped guiding you to this hanger."   
Andross rolled his eyes and smiled. "Only as Pigma can, I assure you," he said. "So, how do you like my little creation?"   
"I really like it. I can almost envision where everything is going to be," answered James. "Though I do have a few questions about the finished design of this ship."   
After James had finished his sentence, Andross' eyebrows raised and his ears perked up. "Questions you say," Andross said. "What sort of questions did you have for me?"   
Again, James answered. "Like I said, it is the design of the ship, the stabilization of the pectoral fins, the beak of the ship, and the output velocity of the ship's engines and the integrity of the ship once it hits maximum speed."   
Andross contorted his face in an obvious display of anger. Peppy sensed right away and came up from behind his friend. "Remember, what I said," Peppy whispered. "Try not to make this relationship strained between you and Andross."   
James just nodded at Peppy's warning and continued on down the ramp with Vixy in tow. "Now don't get me wrong, Professor Andross," he started. "I just want to know that this ship that you are building for the CDF and myself, especially, will stand the test of time."   
Andross' face lightened up a bit. "Well yes, of course," he started. "If you come down over here to the blueprints, I will answer your questions and point out the specs."   
James walked over to Andross, while Vixy went with Peppy to continue the tour of the ship. Vixy caught Andross' eyes watching her, the look of lust and longing quite evident on the simian's face. Vixy shuddered and quickened her pace to catch up with the hare, thankful to be out of the line of sight of the scientist.   
"Yes, now Professor Andross," James said, breaking Andross out of his trance. "The specs for the ship."   
"Uh, oh, yes. Look here at the fins on the side," pointed out Andross. "These are the most beautiful part of the ship. Holds the body together and the maneuverability of the ship. All of this is controlled from the bridge of the ship where you were pointing out should be on top of the ship. Personally, I think this is a bad position. So wide open for any attack."   
"That is why I requested capital ship shields for this smaller ship," commented James. "Paying particular attention to the front and engines. This leading me to my next question. Why the beak of the ship? I thought this was supposed to be another landing bay into the docking bay of the ship?"   
Anger flashed in Andross' eyes. "Unless you think Mr. Phoenix and his fledgling company can do any better…" Andross stopped in mid-sentence. "I am sorry. Yes, the plans have changed and these plans, unfortunately, don't show that new change."   
James backed off from any other questions he had planned. At that moment, Vixy and Peppy had finished their tour. Andross, never the one to hide his emotions, openly gaped at the vixen. James noticed this and he was disgusted with this simian's actions. Vixy saw this as well and looked to James and saw his reaction. This was the time to make a play on her chosen. Vixy slowed swayed her hips with her tail following in time. James took his eyes off of Andross long enough to see what Vixy was doing. He almost melted on the spot. He heard Andross mumble something under his breathe and that was the point where James had enough.   
"I have no idea what your ideas are, but she is spoken for simian," he sternly said.   
Again, Andross shook himself from openly goggling at the young vixen. "What are you talking about?" he asked.   
"I see your actions and yearnings for Vixy," answered James. "Show some constraint, because you certainly not showing any now."   
Andross was fuming for being found out. He cursed under his breathe. He stormed off. Pigma was snacking on a sandwich by the door as Andross walked past. "Come. Drive me to my lab," Andross commanded, turning around as he did. "I will finish this project with the CDF, but this will be my last. I don't like being insulted."   
Pigma shrugged at the trio of James, Vixy, and Peppy and followed the professor out. "What was that all about?" Pigma asked Andross.   
"Nothing of your concern," answered the irate Andross. He stopped and looked at Pigma. "On second thought, maybe it could be your concern. I will probably not come back here to oversee this project. How would you like to report back to me on how the workers progress with the building of this ship?"   
"I would consider that an honor," answered Pigma, swelling up his already enormous girth with pride.   
"I thought you would," said Andross, smiling. "Also, would you keep an eye at on James for me as well."   
"Why would I want to do that?" Pigma asked.   
"Just make sure that he doesn't do any drastic changes to my design of the ship," answered Andross. "Keep this our little secret, won't you my dear Pigma."   
The pig only nodded his head as he started the engines of the personal transport.   


***   
_Present day_   
_Intrepid crash site_   


"Now let's not start this again," Andross said, visibly calming down. "All I want to do is to compare the technology that our scientists in the Lylat system and this new technology that has seemingly crash landed into our lap. Even you are curious what engine, weapon, and shield technology these newcomers have brought."   
James couldn't argue that point. Though some of the parts and motherboards strewn about him, he recognized and some were completely foreign to him. He only nodded in agreement as he looked around him.   
"So where are our guests at this moment?" Andross asked.   
"I believe at the local hospital," James surmised. "But I imagine it is quarantined or heavily guarded right now for any curious onlookers. Something as bright as this falling ship is certain to bring about local and government curiosity."   
"Yes, indeed," Andross said, nodding his head. "But I would like to talk to them as soon as possible. New technology is always best discussed right away."   
James only shook his head. "He is always the impatient one. One of these days he is going to go over the line and I hope I will be there to see it," thought James.   
"I heard that your son found the passengers to this ship, is that correct?" Andross said, breaking in James' thoughts.   
"Yes, he did," said James skeptically, "Why do you point this out to me now?"   
"Oh, nothing really. Just thought he might be able to point out something that the adults might miss," replied Andross. "The youth seems to put a different point of view on many of today's problems. Where could I find him?"   
James looked about and saw his son no where to be found. "Quite frankly, I have no idea where he is at this moment," admitted James. "Though I remember telling him to go home. He might be there."   
Andross mumbled to himself, cursing his luck. "Well, I can always talk to him later on," speaking to no one in particular. "I think I will head in the direction of the local hospital then. I will see you later, James. By the way, how is your wife, Vixy?"   
James braced himself, but in calm voice said, "She is doing well. Though Fox is quite a pawful these days. Always curious. I think that is good, but she is always worrying that he will follow his father's pawsteps."   
When James looked up, Andross had walked over to his transport and was beginning to step inside. "I will talk to your son later then," Andross said and he sped off in the direction of the town.   
James only shook his head in amazement but a smile crossed his muzzle. "At least I can hold that simian off until he digresses to other things. I still don't know what his thing for Vixy though," thought James. "I hope it won't be too late before something awful happens."   



End file.
